Known semiconductor devices include large-area external contact areas that extend out to a top side and to an underside of the semiconductor device. On the top side and the underside of the semiconductor device, the large-area external contact areas are connected to corresponding first and second electrodes on the underside and top side of a plastic housing embedding a semiconductor chip. These externally accessible large-area external contacts that are electrically connected to different electrodes of the semiconductor chip serve for dissipating heat from the semiconductor chip. These known large-area external contact areas on the top side and the underside of the semiconductor device are unsuitable, however, for stacking a plurality of semiconductor devices one on top of another.
There is a need, however, to configure semiconductor devices of this type compatibly with standard housings such that they are stackable. There is still a further need for the semiconductor devices to be cooled from above and/or from below. Moreover, the thermal resistance that occurs in the case of stackable housing forms should remain low both upward into the environment and downward to a superordinate circuit board. Furthermore, there is a need for stacked semiconductor devices of this type to fulfill new functions, such as e.g., half-bridges or extended coolability.